When the Yankees acquired Ryan Weathers from the Miami Marlins earlier this winter, the collective reaction from the fanbase was a resounding yawn.
On the surface, it looked like Brian Cashman grabbing another oft-injured lefty with a bloated ERA for practically nothing. But after digging into the Statcast data and hearing the murmurs coming out of the front office, I’m convinced this isn’t just depth—this is Matt Blake’s next great reclamation project.
When we get down to Tampa, keep an eye on the backfields where Blake operates. He isn’t looking at Weathers’ concerning fastball metrics. Blake is looking at the raw clay that produced those underwhelming numbers and seeing a masterpiece waiting to be sculpted.
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Elite Tools Buried Under Terrible Results
The Yankees are betting on a specific discrepancy in the data. Weathers has legitimate arm talent, ranking in the 86th percentile for Fastball Velocity. The heat is real. But here is the problem: he ranked in the 9th percentile for Extension.
This is the “Matt Blake Special.” Weathers is effectively short-arming the ball, releasing it early and killing his perceived velocity. He isn’t getting down the mound, which gives hitters more time to react. If Blake can mechanically adjust that extension—getting him closer to league average—that 96 mph fastball will suddenly look like 98 mph to the batter. The low extension is the inefficiency the Yankees believe they can exploit.
“The biggest thing is just keeping him on the field. We have to do a good job of having a nice onramp for him this spring and keeping him healthy, but an electric arm with a nice arsenal — there’s definitely a ceiling for him he hasn’t touched yet,” Blake noted.
The problem has never been the “stuff”; it’s been the execution and health. His pitches currently have zero deception, evidenced by a ver low Chase Rate. Hitters see it early and crush it. By fixing the extension and unleashing an underutilized sweeper to tunnel off the fastball, they can turn those loud outs into swings and misses.
Cashman Sees a Starter, But the Bullpen Looms
The organization isn’t viewing Weathers solely as a reliever. They see a potential back-end rotation piece if he can finally stay off the injured list. General Manager Brian Cashman highlighted the raw ingredients shortly after the trade.
“Hopefully we together can unlock some things and his healthier years are right in front of him here in pinstripes. The talent has never been in question”.
If the rotation experiment fails, the fallback plan is terrifying for opponents in October. Imagine Weathers airing that fastball out for two innings out of the bullpen in the playoffs. A power lefty with good breaking options is unparalleled currency in the postseason.
This whole experiment hinges on health. If Weathers can stay on the mound for even 100 innings, Matt Blake will turn him into a legitimate No. 4-6 starter. But if the shoulder barks again in March, this is just another forgotten flyer. I’m buying the upside, but I’m keeping the receipt.